Battery pack having heat dissipation assembly to assist heat dissipation

ABSTRACT

A battery pack comprises a battery cell assembly and a heat dissipation assembly. The battery cell assembly comprises a battery cell array and a channel arranged in the battery cell array. The battery cell array is formed by arranging a plurality of cells in a certain form. The channel is enclosed by N cells, wherein N&gt;2. The heat dissipation assembly comprises a heat-absorbing member arranged in the channel The heat-absorbing member comprises N side walls, wherein the N side walls respectively abut against the side walls of the N battery cells. Compared with the prior art, the battery pack has the advantages that the battery pack assists the battery cell assembly in heat dissipation through the heat dissipation assembly, which can make the temperature of each area of the battery cell assembly more balanced.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S.application Ser. No. 17/029,494 filed on Sep. 23, 2020, which claims thepriority of CN application Serial No. 201910899648.X, filed on Sep. 23,2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a battery pack.

BACKGROUND ART

The battery pack generally includes a housing, a battery cell assemblydisposed in the housing, and a circuit board for controlling the stateof charging and discharging of the battery pack. During the use of thebattery pack, the battery cell assembly continuously releases heat. Whenthe temperature of the battery cell assembly reaches the temperaturevalue of the thermal protection for the battery cell, the battery packwill stop discharging under the control of the circuit board.

Current battery cell assembly are usually composed of a plurality ofcells to form an array. The battery cell located at the edge of thearray dissipates heat quickly, while the battery cell located at thecenter of the array dissipates heat slowly, or even fails to dissipateheat effectively, so that the battery cell at the center of the batterycell assembly reaches the temperature value of the thermal protectionfor the battery cell fastest, which triggers the protection mechanism ofthe battery pack, the circuit board controls the battery pack to stopdischarging, thereby affecting the normal use of the battery pack andreducing the user experience.

In view of the above problems, it is necessary to provide a battery packto solve the above problems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack, whichassists the heat dissipation of the battery cell assembly through a heatdissipation assembly, which not only can make the temperature of eacharea of the battery cell assembly more balanced, but also effectivelyextend the working time of the battery cell assembly and reduce thedecay rate of the battery cell assembly, thereby effectively extendingthe service life of the battery pack.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides abattery pack, which comprises a battery cell assembly including abattery cell array composed of a plurality of battery cells and achannel provided in the battery cell array, the channel being formed bythe surrounding of N battery cells, wherein N>2; and a heat dissipationassembly including a heat-absorbing member disposed in the channel, andthe heat-absorbing member including N side walls, wherein the N sidewalls respectively abut against the side walls of the N battery cells.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat dissipationassembly comprises a heat-conducting member in contact with theheat-absorbing member to dissipate the heat absorbed by theheat-absorbing member.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember is disposed along an axial direction of the battery cell, and theheat-conducting member is partially located inside the heat-absorbingmember and partially located outside the heat-absorbing member.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember includes a shaft body disposed along an axial direction of thebattery cell and a plurality of heat dissipation fins provided on thearc-shaped sidewall of the shaft body.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember comprises a cylinder provided with a receiving groove and aplurality of heat dissipation fins, the receiving groove is providedalong an axial direction of the cylinder, and one end of the heatdissipation fin is installed on the sidewall of the receiving groove,and the other end extends into the receiving groove, the heat-absorbingmember is provided with a receiving cavity for accommodating thecylinder.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember penetrates the heat-absorbing member along the axial direction ofthe battery cell.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the battery packfurther comprises a housing for accommodating the battery cell assemblyand the heat dissipation assembly, and the heat-conducting member is incontact with the housing.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the battery packfurther comprises a housing for accommodating the battery cell assemblyand the heat dissipation assembly, and the housing is provided with aventilation hole that cooperates with the heat dissipation assembly.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember comprises a housing for accommodating the battery cell assemblyand the heat dissipation assembly, the heat-conducting member comprisesa first heat-conducting member and a second heat-conducting member, oneend of the first heat-conducting member and the second heat-conductingmember fixed on the housing respectively, and the other end of the firstheat-conducting member and the second heat-conducting memberrespectively inserted into the heat-absorbing member.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember comprises a housing for accommodating the battery cell assemblyand the heat dissipation assembly, the heat-conducting member comprisesa heat conductor, a first heat-conducting sheet and a secondheat-conducting sheet, the heat conductor penetrates the heat-absorbingmember along the axial direction of the battery cell, one end of thefirst heat-conducting sheet and the second heat-conducting sheet fixedon the housing respectively, and the other end of the firstheat-conducting sheet and the second heat-conducting sheet respectivelyinserted into the heat conductor.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-absorbingmember is made of shape-stabilized phase change material.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-absorbingmember comprises phase change material and a heat-conducting shellaccommodating the phase change material.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides abattery pack, which includes a plurality of battery cells, a frame, anda heat dissipation assembly, the frame is provided with a receivingportion to receive the battery cells, wherein the receiving portionincludes a first receiving portion for receiving the N battery cells,the heat dissipation assembly including a heat-absorbing member disposedin the first receiving portion, the heat-absorbing member including Nsidewalls, and the N sidewalls respectively resist the N battery cellscontained in the first receiving portion, and the N battery cells beinglocated between the heat-absorbing member and the sidewalls of the firstreceiving portion, wherein N>2.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat dissipationassembly comprises a heat-conducting member in contact with theheat-absorbing member to guide the heat absorbed by the heat-absorbingmember.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember is disposed along an axial direction of the battery cell, and apart of the heat-conducting member is located inside the heat-absorbingmember and a part of the heat-conducting member is located outside theheat-absorbing member.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember comprises a shaft body disposed along an axial direction of thebattery cell and a plurality of heat dissipation fins provided on thearc-shaped sidewall of the shaft body.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the heat-conductingmember comprises a cylinder provided with a receiving groove and aplurality of heat dissipation fins, the receiving groove is providedalong an axial direction of the cylinder, and one end of the heatdissipation fin is installed on the sidewall of the receiving groove,and the other end extends into the receiving groove, the heat-absorbingmember is provided with a receiving cavity for accommodating thecylinder.

The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the battery packof the present invention assists the heat dissipation of the batterycell assembly through the heat dissipation assembly, which can not onlymake the temperature of each area of the battery cell assembly morebalanced, but also effectively extend the working time of the batterycell assembly and reduce the decay rate of the battery cell assembly,thereby effectively prolonging the service life of the battery pack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the battery pack shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a combined structure of a batterycell assembly and a heat dissipation assembly.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a frame.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a battery cell array.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a combined structure of a battery cellarray and a heat dissipation.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation assembly according toa first embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation assembly according toa second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation assembly according toa third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation assembly accordingto a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a heat dissipation assembly accordingto a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a battery cell array having anotherkind of structure.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the battery cell array having a thirdking of structure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages ofthe present invention clearer, the present invention will be describedin detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the present invention discloses abattery pack 100 including a housing 10, a battery cell assembly 20, aheat dissipation assembly 30 that cooperates with the battery cellassembly 20, and a circuit board 40 for controlling the battery pack 100in the charged and discharged state. The battery cell assembly 20, theheat dissipation assembly 30, and the circuit board 40 are accommodatedin the housing 10.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the housing 10 includes a top wall11, a bottom wall 12 opposite to the top wall 11, and a side wall 13perpendicular to the top wall 11. The top wall 11, the bottom wall 12,and the side wall 13 are put together to form a receiving space forreceiving the battery cell assembly 20, the heat dissipation assembly30, and the circuit board 40.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the battery cell assembly20 includes a battery cell array 21 and a frame 22 that receives thebattery cell array 21. Please refer to FIG. 5 , the battery cell array21 is composed of a plurality of battery cells 211 arranged in a certainform. A channel 212 is provided in the battery cell array 21, and Nbattery cells 211 surrounds, forming the channel 212, where N is aninteger greater than 2. In this embodiment, the N is 6. Please refer toFIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , in this embodiment, in fact the channel 212 isformed by canceling one battery cell 211 in the battery cell array 21,that is, the channel 212 is formed by taking out the battery cell 211 inthe battery cell array 21 where the maximum heat is generated. The heatdissipation assembly 30 disposed at the highest heating point in thebattery cell array 21 can not only quickly reduce the internaltemperature of the battery pack 100, but also this cooling method hasthe highest efficiency and remarkable effect. Of course, the channel 212may also have other structural forms. For example, FIG. 12 illustrates achannel 212′ (dashed line portion) surrounded by three battery cells211. FIG. 13 illustrates a channel 212″ surrounded by four battery cells211″ (dashed line portion). In this embodiment, the battery cell array21 is provided with one channel 212, but in other embodiments, the sizeand number of the channel 212 can be set as required. For example, thebattery cell array 21 is provided with two or more channels 212, asshown in FIGS. 12 and 13 . It can be understood that, in thisembodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the battery cell 211 iscircular. However, in other embodiments, the cross-sectional shape ofthe battery cell 211 may be set as required, such as regular polygon.Please refer to FIG. 4 , the frame 22 is provided with a receivingportion 221 to receive the battery cell array 21. The receiving portion221 includes a first receiving portion 2211 and a second receivingportion 2212. The channel 212 surrounded by the N battery cells 211 andthese N battery cells 211 are received in the first receiving portion2211. The second receiving portion 2212 is used to receive a singlebattery cell 211. In this embodiment, the second receiving portion 2212is used to receive a single battery cell, but in other embodiments, thesecond receiving portion 2212 may also be configured to receive multiplebattery cells 211. In this embodiment, the receiving portion 221 has twospecifications: a first receiving portion 2211 that accommodates sixbattery cells 211, and a second receiving portion 2212 that accommodatesa single battery cell 211. However, in other embodiments, thespecifications of the receiving portion 221 may be provided in varioustypes as required, for example, one receiving portion for receiving sixbattery cells 211, one receiving portion for receiving three batterycells 211, or multiple receiving portions for receiving a single batterycell 211.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the heat dissipation assembly 30received in the channel 212 includes a heat-absorbing member 31 and aheat-conducting member 32 in contact with the heat-absorbing member 31.The heat-absorbing member 31 includes N sidewalls 311. The N sidewalls311 respectively abut against the side walls of the N battery cells 211so that the heat-absorbing member 31 absorbs the heat from the N batterycells 211, and the battery cells 211 can quickly dissipate heat and cooldown. In this embodiment, the side wall 311 is an arc-shaped wall, andits radian matches the radian of the side wall of the battery cell 211.In this embodiment, the heat-absorbing member 31 is made of ashape-stabilized phase change material. However, in other embodiments,the heat-absorbing member 31 may also include the phase change materialand a heat-conducting shell accommodating the phase change material, andthe phase change material may be shaped or amorphous. Theheat-conducting shell is made of a material with high thermalconductivity. It can be understood that the heat-absorbing member 31 mayalso be made of other materials capable of achieving a heat absorbingfunction, which is not specifically limited in the present invention.The heat-conducting member 32 is used to conduct the heat absorbed bythe heat-absorbing member 31 and dissipate the heat to the outsideenvironment, the heat-conducting member 32 can improve theheat-absorbing efficiency of the heat-absorbing member 31. Theheat-conducting member 32 may be made of metal, high thermallyconductive plastic, ceramic, or the like. The heat-conducting member 32is disposed along the axial direction of the battery cell 211 and ispartially located inside the heat-absorbing member 31 and partiallylocated outside the heat-absorbing member 31. In this embodiment, theheat-conducting member 32 is cylindrical, and penetrates theheat-absorbing member 31 along the axial direction of the battery cell211. Both ends of the heat-conducting member 32 may be respectivelyconnected to the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 12, or may not be incontact with the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 12. When the materialsof the heat-absorbing member 31 and the heat-conducting member 32 arethe same, the heat-absorbing member 31 and the heat-conducting member 32may be integrally formed. In this embodiment, the cross-section of theheat-conducting member 32 is circular, but in other embodiments, thecross-section of the heat-conducting member 32 may be set as required,which is not specifically limited in the present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a heat dissipation assembly 50 according to a secondembodiment. The heat dissipation assembly 50 includes a heat-absorbingmember 51 and a heat-conducting member 52 in contact with theheat-absorbing member 51. The structure of the heat-absorbing member 51is substantially the same as that of the heat-absorbing member 31. Theheat-conducting member 52 includes a first heat-conducting member 521and a second heat-conducting member 522. One end of the firstheat-conducting member 521 is fixed on the top wall 11, and the otherend is inserted into the heat-absorbing member 51. One end of the secondheat-conducting member 522 is fixed on the bottom wall 12, and the otherend is inserted into the heat-absorbing member 51. In this embodiment,the heat-conducting member 52 is a split type, but it can be understoodthat in other embodiments, the first heat-conducting member 521 and thesecond heat-conducting member 522 may form a whole, and one end is fixedto the top wall 11 or the bottom wall 12 and the other end is insertedinto the heat-absorbing member 51.

FIG. 9 shows a heat dissipation assembly 60 according to a thirdembodiment. The structure of the heat dissipation assembly 60 issubstantially the same as that of the heat dissipation assembly 50. Theheat dissipation assembly 60 includes a heat-absorbing member 61 and aheat-conducting member 62 in contact with the heat-absorbing member 61.The difference is that the heat-conducting member 62 is a heatconducting sheet, that is, the heat-conducting member 62 includes afirst heat-conducting sheet and a second heat-conducting sheet, thefirst heat-conducting sheet and the second heat-conducting sheet aresubstantially the same as the first heat-conducting member 521 and thesecond heat-conducting member 522. In this embodiment, one end of theheat-conducting member 62 is inserted into the heat-absorbing member 61,but it can be understood that in other embodiments, the heat-conductingmember 62 further includes a heat conductor penetrates theheat-absorbing member 31 along the axial direction of the battery cell211, and two ends of the heat conductor protrude from the two ends ofthe heat-absorbing member 61 respectively, the other end of the firstheat-conducting sheet and the other end of the second heat-conductingsheet are respectively inserted into the cylindrical heat conductor.

FIG. 10 shows a heat dissipation assembly 70 according to a fourthembodiment. The heat dissipation assembly 70 includes a heat-absorbingmember 71 and a heat-conducting member 72 in contact with theheat-absorbing member 71. The heat-absorbing member 71 has the samestructure as the heat-absorbing member 31, and a receiving cavity 711 isprovided therein. The heat-conducting member 72 includes a hollowcylinder 721 and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 722. The cylinder721 is disposed in the receiving cavity 711 and abuts against the sidewall of the receiving cavity 711. The cylinder 721 is provided with areceiving groove 7211, in this embodiment, the hollow part of thecylinder forms the receiving groove 7211. One end of the heatdissipation fin 722 is installed on the sidewall of the receiving groove7211, and the other end extends into the receiving groove 7211. It canbe understood that, in other embodiments, the heat-conducting member 72may not have the cylinder 721, and the heat dissipation fin 722 isdirectly installed on the groove wall of the receiving cavity 711. Itcan be understood that the top wall 11 and the bottom wall 12 mayfurther be provided with a ventilation hole (not shown) that cooperateswith the heat dissipation assembly 70 so as to dissipate heat by airconvection.

FIG. 11 shows a heat dissipation assembly 80 according to a fifthembodiment. The heat dissipation assembly 80 includes a heat-absorbingmember 81 and a heat-conducting member 82 in contact with theheat-absorbing member 81. The structure of the heat-absorbing member 81is substantially the same as that of the heat-absorbing member 31. Areceiving cavity 811 is provided in the heat-absorbing member 81 toreceive the heat-conducting member 82. The heat-conducting member 82includes a shaft body 821 disposed along the axial direction of thebattery cell 211 and a plurality of heat dissipation fins 822 disposedon the shaft body 821. The heat dissipation fin 822 is disposed on thearc-shaped sidewall of the shaft body 821. In this embodiment, theplurality of heat dissipation fins 822 has a total of eight rows, andeach row of heat dissipation fins 822 forms a straight line parallel tothe axis of the shaft body 821. However, it can be understood that theline formed by the dissipation fins 822 in each row may also be a spiralline rotating around the shaft body 821.

Compared with the prior art, the battery pack 100 of the presentinvention assists the heat dissipation of the battery cell assembly 20through the heat dissipation assembly 30, 50, 60, 70, 80, which can notonly make the temperature of each area of the battery cell assembly 20more balanced, but also can effectively extend the working time of thebattery cell assembly 20 and reduce the attenuation speed of the batterycell assembly 20, thereby effectively prolonging the service life of thebattery pack 100.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technicalsolutions of the present invention, not for limitation. Although thepresent invention is described in detail with reference to the preferredembodiments, ordinary technicians in the field should understand thatthe technical solutions of the present invention may be modified orsubstituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the technicalsolutions of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery pack having heat dissipation assemblyto assist heat dissipation, the battery pack comprising: a battery cellassembly including a battery cell array composed of a plurality ofbattery cells and a channel provided in the battery cell array, thechannel being formed by surrounding of N battery cells and being largeenough to receive one cell from the battery cell array, wherein N is aninteger greater than 2; and a heat dissipation assembly including aheat-absorbing member disposed in the channel, the heat-absorbing memberand the one cell being interchangeable in the channel, and theheat-absorbing member including M side walls respectively abuttingagainst side walls of the N battery cells, wherein M is an integergreater than
 2. 2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein eachof the M side walls of the heat-absorbing member is an arc-shaped wallwhich radian matches a radian of a side wall of a corresponding batterycell.
 3. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein theheat-absorbing member comprises a first heat-absorbing member having theM side walls and a second heat-absorbing member that penetrates thefirst heat-absorbing member along an axial direction of the battery cellassembly.
 4. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the firstheat-absorbing member and the second heat-absorbing member areintegrally formed.
 5. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein thefirst heat-absorbing member is made of shape-stabilized phase changematerial.
 6. The battery pack according to claim 3, wherein the firstheat-absorbing member comprises a phase change material and aheat-conducting shell accommodating the phase change material.
 7. Thebattery pack according to claim 3, wherein the second heat-absorbingmember is partially located inside the first heat-absorbing member andpartially located outside the first heat-absorbing member.
 8. Thebattery pack according to claim 3, wherein the second heat-absorbingmember is cylindrical.
 9. The battery pack according to claim 3, whereinthe battery pack further comprises a housing for accommodating thebattery cell assembly and the heat dissipation assembly, and the secondheat-absorbing member is in contact with the housing.
 10. The batterypack according to claim 9, wherein the housing includes a top wall and abottom wall opposite to the top wall, and the second heat-absorbingmember is in contact with the top wall and the bottom wall.
 11. Thebattery pack according to claim 10, wherein a first end and a second endof the second heat-absorbing member are respectively connected to thetop wall and the bottom wall.
 12. The battery pack according to claim 1,wherein the channel comprises a plurality of channels.
 13. The batterypack according to claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of channelshas a same surrounding in a number of the battery cells.
 14. The batterypack according to claim 1, wherein a cross-sectional shape of eachbattery cell is circular or regular polygon.
 15. The battery packaccording to claim 1, wherein the battery cell assembly comprises aframe that receives the battery cell array.
 16. The battery packaccording to claim 15, wherein the channel is located at a center of theframe.
 17. The battery pack according to claim 15, wherein the framecomprises a first receiving portion used to receive the battery cellarray and a second receiving portion used to receive a single batterycell.
 18. The battery pack according to claim 17, wherein the secondreceiving portion locates around the first receiving portion.
 19. Thebattery pack according to claim 18, wherein the second receiving portioncomprises a plurality of second receiving portion that are symmetricallydistributed around the first receiving portion.
 20. A battery packhaving heat dissipation assembly to assist heat dissipation, the batterypack comprising: a battery cell assembly including a battery cell arraycomposed of a plurality of battery cells and a channel provided in thebattery cell array, the channel being formed by surrounding of N batterycells and being large enough to receive one cell from the battery cellarray, wherein N is an integer greater than 2; a heat dissipationassembly including a heat-absorbing member disposed in the channel, theheat-absorbing member and the one cell being interchangeable in thechannel, and the heat-absorbing member including M side wallsrespectively abutting against side walls of the N battery cells, whereinM is an integer greater than 2; a circuit board for controlling thebattery pack in a charged and a discharged state; and a housingincluding a top wall, a bottom wall opposite to the top wall, and a sidewall perpendicular to the top wall, the top wall, the bottom wall, andthe side wall being put together to form a receiving space; wherein thebattery cell assembly, the heat dissipation assembly, and the circuitboard are accommodated in the receiving space.